His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, is currently on a cultural visit to the Spanish capital. On Tuesday, he was at Casa Árabe Madrid, which has been operating as the strategic centre for Spain’s relations with the Arab world since 2006.

The Sharjah Ruler was received by Pedro Martínez-Avial, General Director, Casa Árabe, and senior representatives of Spanish cultural and academic institutions.

A heartfelt note left by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi in the organisation’s golden register for VIP visitors, reads: “We are delighted to visit Casa Árabe, which is a pivotal meeting point between Spain and the Arab world. Today, we are here to take an important step towards strengthening the bond between our two cultures – one that is based on mutual respect and understanding. We hope this bond is established at a level that befits both parties.

The Sharjah Ruler witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) and Casa Árabe, to promote Emirati and Arab cultures in Spain. It was signed by HE Ahmed Bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of SBA and Pedro Martínez, in the presence of heads and senior officials of both Emirati and Spanish cultural entities.

The MoU seeks to achieve the goal of building bridges and strengthening bilateral relations to promote cooperation in key cultural sectors leveraged by Casa Árabe’s strong regional and international network. Under the agreement, the two entities will also work on executing agreed-upon programmes targeted at enhancing cultural exchange. They will develop a programme to promote cooperation between cultural entities in Spain, Sharjah and the UAE, and steer Spanish cultural experts to devising and applying effective tools to enhance dialogue and exchange between Sharjah, Spain and the world.

His Highness toured the Casa Árabe and viewed its current exhibitions, ‘Pop Art from North Africa’ and ‘The Nocturnal Star’, by Spanish artist and sculptor Cristóbal Martín. 

The visit ended with a memorial photograph of the Sharjah Ruler with the UAE’s cultural delegation and Casa Árabe’s officials.

Sharjah Ruler was accompanied by HE Majid Al Suwaidi, UAE Ambassador to Spain; HE Abdullah Mohammed Al Owais, Chairman of Sharjah Department of Culture; HE Engineer Ali bin Shaheen Al Suwaidi, Chairman of Sharjah Directorate of Public Works;  HE Ahmed bin Rakad Al Ameri, Chairman of Sharjah Book Authority; HE Abdulaziz Abdulrahman Al Musallam, Chairman of Sharjah Institute for Heritage; HE Ali Ibrahim Al Marri, Head of Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi Centre for Gulf Studies (Al Darah); HE Mohammed Hassan Khalaf, General Manager of the Sharjah Broadcasting Authority; Professor Amr Abdel-Hamid, Director of Sharjah Research Academy; HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau; Rashid Al Kous, Executive Director of Emirates Publishers Association; and a number of editors and chiefs of UAE newspapers.